Wednesday, 2 December 2009

Today is day two of the 2009 Virtual Advent Tour, and my turn to post! I'm going to talk to you a little about the family traditions we have in my family.

Ever since I was young, around the age of two, my parents tried to make Christmas Eve as special as Christmas Day - not just for me, but for them as well. Christmas Eve wasn't the best of days for my Mum when she was a child, so she wanted us to do something as a family to make it a happy day. My Dad used to be a courier, delivering parcels around the UK, but mainly London, so he knew (and still does) the area well, and knew which streets went all out when it came to decorating them with Christmas lights. That was our first tradition; Dad would take me and Mum out to the centre of London, driving around looking at the Christmas lights. I loved it, they were always so amazing! There was this one building my Dad delivered to that really spent some money at Christmas to decorate the outside of it - a different design every year. I remember one year it looked like a Christmas present, with a big bow. Seeing the lights each year was always so magical. When my brother came along, and was old enough, he came with us too.

Then when my brother and I were both old enough to go to the cinema without getting bored or disturbing other people, a new tradition started. As well as seeing the Chrsitmas lights, we would go to the cinema beforehand to watch a Christmas movie. The first one we saw according to Mum was Miracle on 34th Street - still one of my favourites! We don't go to see the Christmas lights anymore, as they have got more commercial and are used to advertise shops, which isn't so great, but we still try to go to the cinema. It's not always possible though, if we go to visit family for Christmas, we're travelling on Christmas Eve, and by the time we arrive, it's too late to get seats. But still, Christmas Eve is always great - especially getting the glass of milk and mince pie for Father Christmas and a carrot for Rudolph ready, and seeing that they're gone the next day ;)

We have two other traditions in my family that we can only really uphold if we stay at home and have people round to us for Christmas. When at home the TV, the computers, the Xbox/Playstation (whatever computery thingy my brother now has in his room), gameboy DS, etc, are banned. Our recorders are set to tape all the great Christmas TV, and we spend the whole day as a family playing games - board or otherwise. My Mum tries to buy a new board game every year for us to play. Some of the games we play are Pictionary (I LOVE IT!), Taboo (also awesome!), Whodunnit? (Cluedo with cards), Uno, Charades, Monopoly (which I can't stand), and other nifty little games like Rummikub and Name That Tune. We are a very close family generally, but this is the one day where it's garunteed we'll all hang out together all day.

The other tradition, which is more of an agreement so everyone is happy, is not to open the Christmas presents until after we've eaten our big Christmas roast. I hated this rule as a child, having to wait hours before I could see what I'd been given, but I understand it now. Mum and Dad will be busy cooking the dinner; they don't have time to sit and relax and enjoy they're pressies, and seeing us open ours, while making sure the dinner is ready. And now, as an adult, I like this rule as well as understand it. I get more time to get ready (I am a girl, after all), and then I can help out with the food, get the table ready, etc. I enjoy it, as mad as I may sound. It's the family Christmassy feel.

While talking about food, I saw a programme the other day that was talking about some spicy food one could make for Christmas, and got all confused. Surely everyone has a roast on Christmas day? It turns out I'm wrong. So for us, we have a big roast - a very big roast. We have the potatoes, the veg, stuffing, yorkshire puddings, and then all the different meat; the turkey, of course, chicken, beef, pork, boiled bacon, pigs in blankets - the works. I'm seriously fussy, so I only have the potatoes and some chicken and beef, but everyone generally eats til they're bursting! Dad normally has a starter too of prawn cocktail, and then there is ice-cream and fruit for dessert for everyone, and Christmas pudding sometimes for Mum - no-one else likes it.

42 comments:

My mother, follwing the tradition set down by her mother, generally always cooks a big roast. It's usually turkey with all the trimmings, often followed by christmas pudding.

What makes this kind of ridiculous is that it is the middle of summer and really not the kind of weather suitable for heavy, mid-winter fare. But it's Christmas, it's tradition, it tastes wonderful and we tend to do it all the same. We just get strawberries and ice cream for dessert as well.

More and more people have a BBQ at Christmas these days, but just as many people go for the traditional winter Christmas dinner. It has also become a common thing to have a Christmas dinner with friends in the middle of July when it is closer to the right kind of weather.

Kerry - That's so cool! We generally have a lot of roasts over here, no matter the time of year, so I get how not so great it can be to eat a roast in summer! But I do understand, it's Christmas and it's tradition! :)

Jane - Oh, you're welcome! I hope you end up comeing with something that gives you and your family some great memories!

We didn't really have any strong traditions in our family at all, except if you call cold meats and salad a Christmas tradition. In fact the first time I had ever had Roast Turkey on Christmas Day was the first time I had to cook it! It took much, much longer than I expected, but it tasted okay once it was finally done.

These days my sister and I are trying to have a more traditional day so we are doing the full roast thing along with her inlaws which is great, but I dread when they finally say well it's your turn to cook! lol.

Thanks for participating in the Advent Tour! And Jane, the blog tour is a new to me tradition over the last couple of years as well.

I've not yet had to cook my own Christmas dinner, Mum and Dad, or whoever we're staying with, does it. I know Mum tends to cook the turkey on a low heat overnight when she does it. Maybe that'll work for you?It's no problem, it's such a great idea! I love the Advent Tour, and I'm looking forward to all the other posts!

Every year we hunt down the best Christmas displays and drag the kids around looking at them. I don't know what it is about all those twinkling lights that just says Christmas. What an awesome post I'm feeling even more Christmasy now.

Krissi - Thanks, I'm gald you enjoyed it! I've never really thought about checking out Christmas displays. I'd have to travel into the centre of London to find some good ones, and I doubt the rest of the family would do it with me, lol.

Juju - You're welcome! So do I! It's great to see what other people do for Christmas :)

We usually have turkey (our Thanksgiving is in October so we have forgotten all about the fact we ate too much of it) or a Christmas ham. Now I'm a vegetarian, so it's not quite the same, but the one thing that never changes is the awesome breakfast my Mom makes on Christmas morning. Eggs, crepes, bacon, fruit, syrup and cinnamon, coffee, orange juice. Yum!

I love hearing what other families do for Christmas. You have some wonderful traditions! My family used to have a big Turkey dinner, similar to Thanksgiving dinner, on Christmas because my Uncles, mother's 2 brothers, wanted this dinner. But when I was about 12, my grandmother, mother and my Aunt, my mom's sister, said "No more Turkey!" and Christmas dinner became Prime Rib, Scalloped Potatoes,String Bean Casserole, Biscuits and several other dishes and that's what it's been ever since!My family isn't one that eats mid-day, We don't eat our big meal until 5 or 6 o'clock but it gives us a lot of time to play games, watch a movie or two or even nap after a big breakfast and the opening of gifts.

We don't really have any traditions in my family anymore. I think about the only is that there will be lobster close to the holidays because my mother gets it right off the lobster boats. I all ready called her to make sure my order was in. Although, last year I went to her house to have lobster, PLUS we had some here. I was a bit lobstered out AND it leaked in my car...

Anyways, otherwise we have a turkey. Thanks for joining for the Advent Calendar and Happy Holidays to you!

Jenn - Wow, I love the sound of your breakfast; not necessarily the food you east (as I said in my post, I'm a fussy eater), but the idea that a breakfast is cooked! I don't think we bother, unless we're somewhere else and they cook breakfast. It's real sweet!

Amy - That's so interesting, the food you eat. I tend to forget about Thanksgiving in America, and that's when most people in America will have their turkey. As we don't have Thanksgiving over here, Christmas is our turkey day. Ah, we do our games and present-opening after dinner, but I'm not sure our dinner is at mid-day, it depends on what time we're up - and when everything is cooked, as there are lots of things in the oven or on the stove. I don't think we eat as late as you, though. Perhaps 2-3ish.

Kailana - That's quite cool, having lobster! I've never tried it, I don't think anyone in the family eats it. But it's quite cool that you have an "extravegant" meal around Christmas time! :) Thank you! Happy Holidays to you as well! :)

Aarti - Oh, that's no problem, I'm glad you enjoyed reading it! Woops, I forgot to say it in my post, but the carrot is actually for Rudolph, not Father Christmas, haha! I hear some people leave Santa whisky instead. Whatever's left, I'm sure he enjoys it all ;) Haha!Seeing as most of us in my immediate family are atheists (Mum isn't, not sure about my brother), Christmas is all about family for us, rather than anything religious - I suppose it just helps that we're all as close as we are :)

On Christmas morning, I always make Sticky Buns for breakfast. I never thought much about it, but my children (who are 18,22 & 24) apparently always looked forward to it, so I have to make them every year now. I love it. And we have hot chocolate and oatmeal.

Oh, that's just awesome! It's funny how some things you don't think of as traditions until you really think about it. My Dad may do us a full English breakfast some mornings at Christmas, but it's very rare, so not a tradition. But they're always great!

For Christmas dinner, we have turkey with all the usual veggie and starchy sides. We used to have pie for dessert, but then when I was in high school, my grandmother started making trifle like she used to have when she was a girl. Now it's a favorite and wouldn't be Christmas without it!

I just loved reading this. What a lovely tribute to your parents and to the childhood they gave you. Really wonderful. Oh, and I've never had a 'roast.' :<) The Christmas day food at our house is breakfast-y items: popovers or French toast or waffles.

Oh, thank you, I'm thrilled that you enjoyed reading my post so much! :) Wow, I've never heard of people eating those meals at Christmas. It's so interesting to hear all the different things people eat!

You know, I never knew people ate anything other than Turkey for Christmas - I'm always blown away when my friend does a ham instead (I'm a picky eater also and ham is not something I would eat).

Our dinner is usually late - 6 to 7pm and it is always Turkey dinner. It's my favourite meal - we eat it on Thanksgiving (October), Christmas and Easter. Now they have 'cook from frozen' turkeys so it's so much easier than when my Gram had to do it.

On the Eve we get together after work (usually 6pm) and we order in Pizza Hut pizza (I can't eat it - upsets my tummy) so I now will get one pizza from another joint. This is tradition for my family. I'm not sure they would like it if I decided no pizza on the eve ;)

That's so cool! I don't think I'd eat ham either, myself, but I still think it's so cool that everyone eats something different, so interesting! :) I like the pizza idea! I don't like pizza myself, lol, but I like the tradition :)

LOVED this post! I love how your mom created her own happiness for Christmas Eve with you and your family. We definitely have turkey for Christmas dinner, plus rice, mashed potatoes, veggies, and stuffing. But for my family, Christmas Eve dinner is more special than Christmas Day, which is relaxed. Christmas Eve is dress-up excitement, with seafood newburg served over rice, and salad. Oh...I can't wait for it!

I am in Denmark, and we celebrate on the evening of the 24th. We usually have roasted duck or goose, dark brown gravy, potatoes and pickled red cabbage. For dessert there is the almond/rice/cream pudding with cherry sauce on top.

Some families eat pork-roast with crackling, but that has never been a tradition in my family.

December 25 and 26 are usually huge days for lunch-get-togethers with so much food that any normal person feels nauseated on the 27th ;-)

Your blog looks fab, and I am happy to have discovered another Euro-zone blogger :)

I have family who live in Denmark, so I know Christmas is celebrated on the 24th. It's a little odd; why would we all celebrate on different days? Lol.I like the sound of your Christmas dinner! I've never had duck or goose before, but I've heard they taste really nice!I don't know about any other families, but I know in mine, Christmas day and Boxing day is all about stuffing your face, so there's a lot of feeling a little uncomfortable around here too! :D

Oh, that's awesome! We don't do much singing over here; mainly because none of us can sing, and I don't think my Dad is the type to do that anyway. Haha, the thought is quite funny! :D Enjoy your Christmas!

Those are awesome traditions! My family never really had traditions except that we ran around a ton trying to see everybody. When I was 10 and under, Christmas Eve belonged to my maternal grandparents and Christmas Day was with my paternal grandparents. When I switched schools in 6th grade, I sang Christmas Eve mass with my school choir, so Christmas Day got split in half (and involved about 3 hours of driving). And then finally we made it so that Christmas was three days long. With all the running around, my family didn't have enough time to create traditions. This is something I intend to fix now that I'm an adult.

It's great that your family tried to see both sets of grandparents at Christmas. I can't remember Christmases from when I was very young, but some Christmases included my Nan (Mum's Mum), very little my Grandma (Dad's Mum). She lives quite a bit away, so sometimes my Dad and my brother drive to her's very early in the morning to see her for an hour, but she prefers her own company. This year, I won't be seeing any of my grandparents as I'm going to visit an aunt and her family, with another uncle and his family coming too - and then even more people. Lots of us! It'll be great!

Follow by Email

Blog Archive

Total Pageviews

Disclaimer

All written content contained on this site belongs to the author, unless otherwise stated, and should not be appropriated for use by anyone without permission. Any content provided voluntarily by other writers is subject to the same rules as my own. Any photos or images used on this site that do not belong to the author are royalty free and licensed under creative commons, or cover images of books used to promote them. Any images belonging to the author should be regarded in the same way as the previously mentioned written content and should not be used without permission. The opinions offered on this site are for the purposes of information and entertainment only.